Lebanon Valley College

Renovation brought cooking to the front of the house.

This student is enjoying the fruits of the vast salad bar, which features more than 40 selections.

“We offer about six different composed salads a day that are made fresh,” Allman says. “The salad bar is also where we try to showcase our local produce when available. The salad bar is also an area where we get creative and try to offer folks different things such as a different hummus each day.”

The salad bar also features three homemade soups per day. Another cool feature is that one side of the salad bar is completely gluten-free so students with special dietary needs can avoid cross contamination by sticking to that side of the station.

“We do a lot with gluten-free items,” Allman says. “We also are promoting the health benefits of eating a gluten-free diet. There are studies that show if you are feeling sluggish or getting migraines reducing the amount of gluten you eat might help with that.”

It was a decision that brought the duo recognition at Monday night’s MenuDirections 2015 awards ceremony in Memphis, Tenn., which is part of FoodService Director magazine’s annual conference geared towards foodservice operators and suppliers.